More about Huckleberries

This morning I went up Lost Horse Canyon with my parents and kids. We were on a mission to pick more huckleberries. The thing is, you can only pick them in a few areas, and for a few weeks out of the year. If you miss them, you don't get another chance! I think a lot of things in life are like that... If you don't take your opportunities, they will be gone. It's so important to find the good things that are happening right now... the quiet moments, kind words, smiles, flowers, a puppy, and on and on. We miss so much if we spend all of our time looking for "huckleberries" in the middle of January, instead of enjoying the snowflakes!

Berry Delicious

This is the time of year for picking raspberries. I think they are so beautiful! There's nothing like going out first thing in the morning, before it gets hot, and listening to the world wake up while picking raspberries. For me, this is a very soul-soothing experience. I also love to to munch the cool, sweet berries before my breakfast!!



Yesterday I went "huckleberrying" with my mom and Emily. We didn't find a lot... but here they are. They will be just enough to throw into a batch of pancakes or muffins. I don't know what it is about Montanans and their huckleberries, but I don't feel like the summer is complete without their tart, wild taste.

I Am Vanilla

That's right... no nuts, no chocolate, no bits of fruit or marshmallows... just plain old vanilla.

 

I actually don't really like ice cream (unless it's home-made) so I wasn't surprised to find out that I am compared to plain old vanilla. I actually liked the description though... most of it seemed to fit me.

"You're as popular and relaxing as vanilla ice cream. You go with the flow, and get along with all sorts of people. You appreciate peace and simplicity, so you sometimes find crowds and loud noises overwhelming. You are a chilled-out, calming influence on the people in your life, and your friends appreciate how supportive and flexible you are. "

To find out what flavor you are, click www.the-n.com/quizzes/quiz_main.php?id=3243 and take the quiz. Let me know!

Pizza Hut At Home

This morning we went to the Logger Days parade in Darby.  What fun!!!  There were lots of 4-wheelers and logging trucks.  The streets were literally littered with candy, so the kids thought it was great.  As we walked around town, (in Darby it doesn't take long) we stopped at a yard sale and saw these benches.  They were asking $10 each for them.  I practiced my bargaining skills, and got the pair for $15.  They were removed from Pizza Hut a few years ago, during a remodel.  I wasn't sure I liked them, but they seem to fit, and they are growing on me.  If  I decide not to keep them, I'll bequeath them to my little brother, who worked at Pizza Hut for many years.  Meanwhile, the kids think they are pretty cool!

Shelves and Peas

What do shelves and peas have in common, you may ask?  .... not much, except that's what I've been working on today.  I spent about 3 hours this morning building the first of many shelves that will help me organize my basement.  They aren't really pretty, but they are strong.  I am rather proud of myself, since this is the first time I've tried anything like this! 

Then I picked the peas, and had the kids help me shell them.  I think more peas went into our mouths than into the freezer, but that's what growing a garden is all about.

National Peach Ice Cream Day

Yes, in case you were wondering.... today IS National Peach Ice Cream Day. (Who comes up with these?) Our family celebrates everything we can, so... today I made peach ice cream for the first time. It was delicious!!! I highly recommend it.

Peach Ice Cream
1 Pint Heavy Cream
1-1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
Dash of Salt
3-4 Ripe Peaches
About 3 Cups Milk

Whip cream until very thick. Pour it into your ice-cream canister. Beat eggs and add to cream. Slowly add sugar and half the milk. Stir till sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla and salt. Peel and de-pit the peaches. Puree the peaches, along with the other half of the milk, in a blender. Pour the peach puree into the ice-cream canister and mix well. The canister should be about 3/4 full. If it is not, add milk till it is 3/4 full. Freeze according to your freezers directions. ( You can cut the peaches into chunks, instead of pureeing them, but my kids won't eat "chunks" in their ice-cream.)

Time at Home

Yesterday I was able to spend some time in my garden.  This is what I picked.  It is so satisfying to eat things that I've grown myself... and the kids are more likely to eat veggies when they helped to grow and harvest them.  We had a delicious dinner!

I made these pillow-cases this morning for a couple travel pillows.  My boys needed small pillows to take to camp with them, and they will come in handy in the van.  I used some scraps of fabric from my stash... Dark colors so they won't show as much dirt!!  The boys probably won't be crazy about the flowers, but I like them!

A Week at Girls Camp

I had the opportunity to spend the last week as our ward girls camp leader. We went to Camp Paxson, on Seeley Lake. The weather was beautiful, the girls were great, and the mosquitos nearly sucked us dry. I really love going to girls camp because it reminds me of when I gained my testimony, through camp experiences. I want to make camp as fun and memorable for others as it was for me. This is me, my assistant, and my 11 girls, by a big cow, on the way to camp.

My fake snake-bite... You'd be surprised how many kids wanted to cut little slits and suck out the venom!

My assistant and I snuck away from the girls for an illegal, mid-afternoon smore's break. It was delicious!

This is our lovely cabin... where 10 of us tried to sleep. The snoring, talking in their sleep, and late night trips to the potty made it hard. I think we averaged around 4-5 hours of sleep a night.... but, boy did we have fun!!!! Can't wait to go back next year!!!!!

4th of July Fun

The kids are pretending they are genies, coming out of their lamps in a puff of colored smoke.

Emily and friends catching a frog at our friends house. We had a nice barbecue with about 8 other families, then shot off fireworks at dark.

Jacob, Erik, and the big kids work their pyro-technic skills.

On Saturday, we took a beautiful drive to Painted Rocks Reservoir. This is looking down from the dam... made me dizzy!!

This is the Alta Tree... supposedly the oldest pine tree in the Bitterroot. It was fully mature when Columbus discovered America, and was killed by lightening in 1993.

Our picnic lunch at Lost Horse Hot Springs... Everyone decided to cough as I snapped the picture! (Ha-ha you guys!) We also celebrated Tony's 40th birthday... notice the cake in the front.

Tony and Emily check out the warm water of Lost Horse Hot Springs. Next time we'll bring our swimming suits!

We drove the dirt road from the West Fork to Shoup, Idaho. The flowers were amazing, and we felt like we were on the top of the world!!

We ended the day with a good ol' smashin', bashin' demolition derby in Salmon, Idaho. It was a fun day, filled with many types of adventures!

Flower Power

I just finished putting Emily's room back together.  Whew!!!!   I could have done the job in half the time, and with a lot less frustration, if she hadn't been "helping" me so much.  I tried really hard to make it a fun project for her, and swallow my "perfectionism".  She seems happy with the results, so hopefully it was the worth the time and effort.  Now the boys want me to paint glow-in-the-dark stars on their walls!!  That will have to wait till after Girls Camp. 

Em's room gets a makeover

It's been over a year since our house remodel. I've been promising Emily that we can paint her room, since before she got her own room. Today I finally got started on it! She chose a pretty yellow color for the walls, then I think we'll paint green and pink flowers or polka dots. We'll see. I should be working on Girls Camp stuff. We leave next Tuesday, and I need to start gathering things up. Maybe tomorrow will be a camp day.